The most prominent rebuke I receive on social media, when trying to persuade leave voters of the folly that we are taking the UK into, is “We had a democratic vote, respect democracy!”. I wouldn’t mind so much, if this were also supported by rational, thought out arguments giving the case for why they voted as they did, but this is rarely, if ever, the case.
My challenge to this most favoured of rebukes is two-fold. First, nothing is forever – most of all public opinion, which can change with the wind. Second, that referenda a fundamentally incompatible with British democratic process.